The Demon Prince

"The king is so angry."

How about we cooperate?

Upon hearing the sudden sound, the guards inside the house all drew their swords.

The door was pushed open, and Xiao Xingyue stood in the doorway.

He wore a dark outer robe, his hair was tied up casually, and there was only Feng Lie behind him.

Feng Lie placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, his demeanor calm and composed.

There were more than a dozen knives pointed at them inside the house, but Xiao Xingyue didn't even look at them. He stepped over the threshold as if he were going home.

Jin Yueji's eyes narrowed, and anger rose within her:

"Xiao Xingyue, you dare to come here again?"

Xiao Xingyue found a chair and sat down:

"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to fight."

Jin Yueji stared at him: "So you've come here to die?"

Xiao Xingyue raised an eyebrow, his gaze piercing as he followed the gaze:

"I'm here to make you repay the favor you did for the emperor."

The room fell silent, and Jin Yueji's smile held a dangerous undertone.

"What did you say?"

Xiao Xingyue spoke with great seriousness:

"If my father hadn't killed your father, you wouldn't have become the ruler of this country, would you?"

Jin Yueji froze completely.

The past of Gou Li is little known to outsiders.

Back then, Lord Gou Li and his queen led troops to invade the northern border, but were killed by Xiao Junlin.

Kim Wol-hee was not the first in line to the throne; she had an older brother. However, shortly after her parents died, her brother died suddenly in a palace coup.

Gou Li publicly claimed that her brother had died of illness, but in reality, she had murdered him and successfully ascended the throne.

But she would never admit to it.

Xiao Xingyue is so confident, does he know something?

She stared intently at Xiao Xingyue, exhaling a chilling aura:

"The Crown Prince's methods of sowing discord are too low-level."

Xiao Xingyue smiled and nodded:

"It's okay if you don't admit it."

But your moment of silence just now told me I wasn't wrong.

Jin Yueji's eyes flashed with murderous intent:

"It's not too late for me to kill you now."

Xiao Xingyue leaned back in his chair:

"Kill me, and you'll have to pay for the warhorse and taxes."

They would continue to be treated like fools and manipulated by the lamplighter and Cao Bi.

The knife inside the room didn't fall; instead, a short blade from Jin Yueji's sleeve stabbed in front of Xiao Xingyue.

Xiao Xingyue gently brushed aside Jin Yueji's intimidating stance:

"Gou Li lost this time not because she was weak, but of course, you guys weren't strong either."

But that's not the main point.

Lu Chengzhang and Cao Bi had run into trouble, and they both wanted to use Gou Li to complete their own political maneuvering.

You, Gou Li, are nothing but pawns, no different from the bets you lost this time.

Jin Yueji's eyes flickered. Of course she had this suspicion, otherwise she wouldn't have gotten so angry after returning.

But when Xiao Xingyue said it, it sounded completely different.

She said coldly:

"Why would you, the Crown Prince of Daxia, tell me these things?"

and!

"There's no need for me to risk killing two important officials of the Great Xia! What benefit would killing them bring Gou Li?"

Xiao Xingyue held up two fingers:

"First, I don't get along with them either."

He extended another one:

"Secondly, while they are alive, you, Gou Li, will always be nothing more than pawns being manipulated. Only when they are dead will you be able to more easily take control of the situation."

Princess Jin Yue did not speak.

Xiao Xingyue tapped the table:

"Cao Bi was the Minister of War, in charge of a large number of military procedures."

The transfer, military registration, and approval of documents for entering Beijing of the former Northern Army troops all had to go through the Ministry of War.

He's keeping me in check, preventing me from taking over the old troops from the North.

"My title as the Crown Prince of Zhenwang sounds impressive, but it's really just an empty facade."

Park Tae-hyun spoke harshly:

"So the Crown Prince intends to use Gou Li to get rid of Cao Bi?"

Xiao Xingyue remained noncommittal.

"First, eliminate Cao Bi, then Lu Chengzhang, and then find out the lamplighter."

At that time, with Cao Bi's death, the Ministry of War will be in turmoil, and with Lu Chengzhang's downfall, the Ministry of Rites will be without a leader.

I took advantage of the chaos to take control of the Northern Army, and you... took advantage of the chaos to enter the Central Plains.

The air in the room suddenly became heavy, and Jin Yueji's breathing became tight.

Taking advantage of the chaos to enter the pass—these four words previously existed only in imagination.

She stared at Xiao Xingyue, trying to find a flaw in the young prince's face:

"The northern border that your father fought so hard to protect has been destroyed in your hands?"

Xiao Xingyue, you are so unfilial!

Xiao Xingyue's expression remained unchanged:

"Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring. If I die, that would be the greatest unfilial act."

Jin Yueji's eyes darkened slightly. She had originally wanted to see Xiao Xingyue lose his composure, but Xiao Xingyue did not, at least not outwardly.

After weighing the options in her mind, she suddenly changed the subject:

"However, great minds think alike, and I, your humble servant, am also unfilial."

Xiao Xingyue smiled, with an expression of finding a kindred spirit in a humble place: "Then we can talk."

Jin Yueji said, "Tell me your plan."

Xiao Xingyue pushed a note over.

After reading it, Jin Yueji's eyes trembled. This time, she would take back everything she had lost!

She held out her hand: "Deal."

Xiao Xingyue didn't shake hands and turned to leave.

Jin Yueji frowned.

Xiao Xingyue said, "I have porcelain shards on my hands."

Jin Yueji lowered her eyes and saw a small wound on her fingertip.

Her face grew even colder. As soon as they entered the room, they scrutinized each other, but Xiao Xingyue's observations were so keen that she couldn't figure out his character.

When they returned to the King's Palace in Zhenguo, it was still dark.

White lanterns hung at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion, and the courtyard was not as lively as usual.

Chen Manfu stood under the eaves, his eyes red-rimmed, holding a roll of white cloth in his hand. Seeing Xiao Xingyue return, he immediately went to greet him.

"Your Highness, the Eighth Princess has been waiting for you for a long time."

Xiao Xingyue entered the inner courtyard, where Li Shunhua stood under the locust tree.

After her battle on the martial arts stage, her brilliance was even greater than before.

But at this moment, there was no pride on her face after the victory; she appeared more composed.

"Xiao Xingyue, I've come to thank you."

"If you hadn't trained me beforehand, and if it weren't for Seventh Sister's antidote, I wouldn't have been able to beat Park Jung-yeol."

Xiao Xingyue waved his hand:

"Don't make it sound so emotional, I'll raise the price if you do."

Li Shunhua's slightly sour mood was dispelled by his words.

She glared at him and took two steps closer:

"The Northern Border Escort Team has arrived at the post station on the outskirts of the capital. The coffins of the old prince and the eight young generals will arrive in the capital no later than the day after tomorrow."

She paused:

"A storm is brewing."

Xiao Xingyue nodded:

"I know, you should get ready too."

Li Shunhua's eyes flickered.

Xiao Xingyue said:

"Go back to the Minister of Rites' residence and cause a huge scene."

Li Shunhua frowned:

"The Ministry of Rites? Wasn't Lu Chengzhang released without charge? My father has already confirmed it."

Xiao Xingyue glanced at her: "Who said the one who was released was Lu Chengzhang?"

Li Shunhua was stunned. She reacted quickly, first looking at Xiao Xingyue, then her eyes gradually changed:

"Who is that?"

She stopped herself as soon as she said it:

"Could it be Sixth Sister?"

Xiao Xingyue did not answer.

Li Shunhua's eyes widened: "Is it really Sixth Sister?"

She took a step forward, her curiosity growing:

"Xiao Xingyue, how did you get involved with Sixth Sister?"

wrong!"

Her brows furrowed even deeper:

"Did Father Emperor know about this? Lu Chengzhang was released from prison, and Sixth Sister impersonated him. Father Emperor even helped cover it up."

What on earth are you guys doing?

Xiao Xingyue sat down on the veranda and rubbed his temples.

"Want to know?"

Li Shunhua nodded subconsciously.

"Serve me for a while first." Xiao Xingyue raised an eyebrow.